I'm sorry
by wililamherondale
Summary: "Rory, you couldn't have known." Amy managed to get over her surprise and spoke up, her voice softer this time, "Stop blaming yourself. We need to learn to live without the Doctor." Those words hit Rory in the gut with full power, causing him a loss of breath for a few seconds. It had been months, but those words still hurt. (Post Angels in Manhattan - just fluff really)


"Do you think he'll come back?" Asked Rory, quietly, tugging slightly on the sleeves of his jumper as he leant on the kitchen counter, "I mean, he always does - he's the Doctor for Christ's sake - the madman in his blue bloody box, falling out the sky every so often. But this time... I don't know."

A slender hand rested on his arm, belonging to a redhead with a eccentric hairstyle, her eyes warm but firm. Even her touch soothed him a little, and he sighed, picking up his cup of tea again.

"Rory," She said softly, but there was a firm edge to her voice, as she knew that this wasn't the first, and nor would it be the last time they'd speak about it. "You know as well as I do that he can't come back."

"That's what we've said. Every time." Rory's voice had a hollow feel to it, no matter how much he tried to hide it, "We thought he was dead for so long, and then he just popped up, out of the blue, messing everything up, completely changing our lives - again."

"For the better," Amy mumbled, which was rather unlike her, "He changed our lives for the better."

Rory made a non-committal noise, and took a sip of his tea. However, Amy's eyes didn't leave his face.

"It's always been you rooting for him," Rory muttered, "You're his best friend. You can't have given up on him."

Silence settled on them, not fitting quite as it should. The feeling was disjointed and uncomfortable, something that hadn't happened to them for years. Rory didn't dare raise his eyes, and instead turned to the sink, letting his wife's arm drop, and drained his unfinished cup of tea. He hated arguments. Always had; he'd never been able to get his point across the way he wanted to.

"Don't." She murmured, instead gripping the tabletop, knuckles white, "Don't think like that. I know-"

She cut off, and had to take a deep breath before continuing.

"I know that it might be difficult, but you weren't there. He knew he was never going to be able to see us again. There was so much desperation in his face, I-"

"Why didn't you stay?"

"I-, what?"

Amy stopped, shock clear on her face, not expecting Rory's rough tone of voice, or his demanding question. Maybe this question had been on her brain for a while, but she didn't dare say it aloud.

"Rory," Her voice was shaky, "I couldn't stay there. I knew you were here. I couldn't leave you."

"But your life would have been so _easy_," Rory said, the challenging tone still laced into the undertones, but now not quite as clear, "You could have moved on, stayed in the blue box, grown up with Melody. Maybe you'd have met a new guy, gone on more adventures, learning about the universe as we know it. You could have been _happy_."

Silence settled for a minute, as guilt grew in Rory's stomach. He wasn't meant to say that; they were private thoughts, meant for his head only. But often his wife managed to get these things out of him anyway. He'd never quite understood how.

When the redhead started talking, her voice was calm; a deadly calm that made Rory gulp.

"So, I'm not happy here? I'm not happy here, in this house of our own, that we worked for? Well, I'm sorry if you don't think I'm _grateful_ enough," Her voice had a startling level of sincerity, causing Rory's chest to tighten, and he suddenly regretted everything he'd said.

"Amy, look, I'm-"

"Don't you '_Amy look_' me - I know what you meant and I know why you said it."

For a few moments, all that could be heard was the birds singing outside and the shrieks of children in the park at the end of the road.

"I'm sorry." Rory said, quietly, but before Amy could interrupt him, he put his finger on her lips; something she was astonished by, and was possibly the only reason Rory managed to get out what he wanted to say, "I'm sorry I doubted you - you don't know how sorry - but you must see it from my point of view. You could have been happy, Amy, and I will never forgive myself for not stopping you coming back with me."

"Rory, you couldn't have known." Amy managed to get over her surprise and spoke up, her voice softer this time, "Stop blaming yourself. We need to learn to live without the Doctor."

Those words hit Rory in the gut with full power, causing him a loss of breath for a few seconds.

It had been months, but those words still hurt.

How could they live without the person that they'd built their life around?

"Rory-" Amy started, but realised that the words couldn't be taken back, and instead wrapped her arms around his torso, "Rory, I'm sorry."

Rory tried to hold it in, squeezing back, but he let out a shaky breath, not quite ready to surpass it.

"I know." He murmured, "Me too."

**AN/ I'm sorry I'm keep uploading one-shots, but I find it really difficult to write more than that so yeah you're stuck with them I'm afraid :P hope you enjoyed it, but don't be afraid to leave a review and tell me EXACTLY where you think I went wrong ^.^ criticism is better than nothing!**


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